Grantham court: Purse taken from a trolley in Morrisons

A man who stole a purse from the trolley of a customer in Morrisons, Grantham, wrote a letter to the court apologising for the theft.

Tyrone John Lee, 47, of Larch Close, Grantham, admitted the theft of the purse on February 22 in the supermarket.

Prosecuting, Jim Clare told the court that the victim was bending down to pick up an item and had taken her eye off her purse on the trolley for a short time when Lee took it. Another customer saw him take it and pointed him out. He immediately denied taking it, but a till assistant had seen him drop the purse and he was identified.

Chris Pye-Smith, defending, said: “He does feel very guilty about this offence. There was no real need to do what he did. It was an opportunistic offence. It was unsophisticated and spur of the moment.”

Mr Pye-Smith said Lee had a previous record and much of it was drug-related.

Lee was fined £75 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.